Brush supporting and adjusting means for vacuum cleaners



Nov. 5, 1929. c QERMAK 1,734,895

BRUSH SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Jan. 28, 1928 Inventor 2 Anthong C. Cermak, Mabel Arline Cermak, Guardian His Abfornea Patented Nov. 5, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTHONY C. CERMAK, OF CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO; BY MABEL ARLINE CERMAK, GUARD- IAN, OF CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER COM- IPANY, INC., OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK BRUSH SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Application filed January 28, 1928. Serial No. 250,203.

The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the type having a power-driven brush located in the nozzle, which brush is designed to brush the surface being cleaned in order to dislodge the dirt in the nap, pick up hair, loose threads, ravelings, etc., all of which material is conveyed by the suction fan and deposited in the dust bag connected to the outlet or discharge conduit of the fan casing.

The problem of supporting a brush for this purpose is one that is not easy of solution owing chiefly to the fact that the available space within the nozzle is greatly restricted to-the fact that the brush must be adjustable to compensate for wear of the bristles, and to the fact that the brush must be easily removed and replaced when it becomes necessary to clean it as shouldbe done at rather frequent intervals to remove the material accumulated thereon. Also, the mounting must be of such a character that the brush will not be torn from its support when the fringe of a rug, for example is caught in the brush.

My invention has for its object to provide a brush mounting and adjusting means which satisfies all of the exacting requirements and which is simple and cheap to construct and requires the minimum amount of labor to install initially.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed.

to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto. I

In the drawing which is illustrative of my invention, Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a vacuum cleaner; Fig. 2 is a view of the nozzle partly in elevation and partly in section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the brush mounting; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the brush supports which is carried by an end wall of the nozzle; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a part of the hanger, and Fig. 6 shows' the relation of the parts when the brush is mounted in place.

In Fig. 1 is shown a vacuum cleaner which may be taken as typical of the kind of cleaner to which my invention is especially applicable. In this figure 5 indicates the nozzle, 6 a casing enclosing the fan 7 8 the housing of the motor, 9 the armature of the fan driving motor, 10 the dust bag connected to the outlet of the fan casing and 11 the actuating handle. In the nozzle is a revolvin brush 12 which is driven by the shaft of t e motor through a pulley 13 located on the front end thereof and a quarter turn belt 14 which is usuall made of rubber or equivalent material whic will permit of adjustment of the brush without interfering with the driving means.

In the end walls of the nozzle are formed openings to receive the brush supporting means or more specifically the brush hanger; these openings are aligned but are eccentrically disposed with respect to the axis of the brush when the latter is mounted in place. As both ends of the brush have similar mountings only one of them will be described. In the opening is located a short cylindrical fulcrum or pivot 15 which is arranged to be turned therein by a lever arm 16 located outside of the end wall and between it and the adjacent floor wheel. This arrangement practically eliminates the danger of injury to the lever. By preference this arm is made of spring steel and is fastened to the member in any suitable way as by a screw 17 and a pin 18. The upper end of the arm is provided with a segment 19 in which is a number of holes, there being five in the present case and each representing a point of adjustment. These holes, one after the other, are intended to receive the pin 20, Fig. 2, which is carried by the adjacent end wall of the nozzle to hold the arm and member 16 in adjusted position. The extreme upper end of the arm is turned outwardly to form a handle 21 by means of which the arm can be sprung outwardly away from the pin and angularly adjusted to a new position.

Riveted or otherwise secured to the inner end of the pivot, fulcrum or member 15 is a lever or crank 22, Fig. 4, which is made of punched sheet steel. The outer end of this lever has a portion 23 bent at right angles thereto to form one side or part of the hanger for the bearing housing. Said portion has a right angle projection 24 which extends to a point over the center of the brush bearing, the front end of which is cut away to -form notches to receive the hinge pins 25, the latter having enlarged top and bottom heads to hold the same in place. @0- operating with the part 23 and pro ection 24 is a second member which forms the other half of the brush hanger. It is shown in Fig. 5 and has a portion 26 adapted to engage the brush bearing housing and a right angle projection 27 at the top, the latter having notches 28 to engage the hinge pins 25. As regards these notches both members are alike. The lower ends of the parts 23 and 26 are outturned at 29 to facilitate the introduction of the brush bearing housing. The parts or members 23 and 26 are pressed toward each other by a fiat spring 30, the ends of which have projections 30 which-enter small holes in said parts. These projections serve to hold the spring against movement from its proper position. It is to be noted that only one of the legs of the hanger is movable under the action of the spring, i. e., part 26, the other being a part of the lever 22. The surfaces of the parts 23 and 26 which engage the bearing are relatively wide so as to hold it firmly in place.

The hinge pins instead of extending crosswise of the parts are vertically disposed so that they will also act as stops to limit the inward movement of the part 26. A separation of the ends of the parts 23 and 26 is necessary to permit the bearing housing to be slipped into place without the use of a spreading tool. To form stops as well as act as hinge pins, each pin has top and bottom heads 35 and 36 with a portion of reduced cross-section connecting them. The space between the heads is somewhat greater than the thickness of the metal forming parts 23 and 26. As a result when the flat spring presses the ends of said parts toward each other, the bearing housing having been removed. the upper side of the part 26 engages the underside of the head 35 and the upper side of the lower head 36 and in this manner limits the inward movement of part 26. The spring also cooperates with the stop pins in limiting the movement of the part 26 for when the brush bearing housing is removed its under side rests .on the pins and further movement is prevented. The spring also serves to hold the member 26 in its proper position when its notches engage the ms. p 37 indicates the spindle of the brush 38. On each end of the spindle is a housing comprising a sheet metal cup 39 and a removable screw cap 40 to permit of access to the bearing. Any suitable bearing may be used, the one shown being of the ball type and having the usual inner and outer ball races. A felt washer 41 and retainer 42 prevent the es"ape of lubricant from the bearing and housing or the entrance of dirt.-

The brush spindle is provided with a pulley 43 which is adapted to be driven by the belt 14.

In the construction shown the brush in being adjusted is moved in-the arc of a circle due to the eccentric relation of its axis and the axis of the fulcrum or member 15. The arrangement is capable of an adj ustment of one-fourth inch, each hole in the arm representing a brush adjustment of one-sixteenth of an inch with respect to the under surface of the nozzle. This means that an adjustment can be made to take care of wear on the tufts of the brush to the amount of one-half inch of diameter of the brush.

In adjusting the brush to compensate for wear the operator pushes the outer end 21 of the lever 16 away from the nozzle sufficiently to free it from the pin 20, then moves the lever to a position Where the next hole in the lever registers with the pin and then releases it. The adjustment at both ends of the brush should of course be the same. This arrangement has the advantage that it is unnecessary to first remove the brush, then make the adjustment and replace the brush. Moreover the adjustment can be made while the brush is rotating if desired. The fact that the driving belt is elastic means that changes in elevation of the brush do not affect the driving elements. It is also to be noted that the pull on the belt holds the brush bearing housing up against the top of the hanger.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

1. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a nozzle, a rotary brush located within the nozzle, bearings for the ends of the brush, and hangers for the bearings each of which comprises a pivoted support carried by an end wall of the nozzle, the axis of which is eccentric to that of the brush axis, means for turning the support on its axis, means for holding the support in adjusted position, a pair of members arranged to engage a hearing, one of said members being rigidly secured to the support, and means for moving the members toward each other to hold. the

. bearing.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a nozzle, a rotary brush located Within the nozzle, bearings for the ends of the brush, and hangers for the bearings each of which comprises a rotatable support carried by an end wall of the nozzle, the axes of the brush and support being eccentric, means for turning the support, means for holding the support in adjusted position, a pair of members arranged to engage a bearing, one of said members being rigidly secured to the support, the other of said members being hinged to the first, and a spring which embraces a part of the inner ends of the members and presses 1,7a4,ees

them toward each other to hold the bearing.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a nozzle, a rotary brush located within the nozzle, bearings for the ends of the brush, and hangers for the bearings each of which comprises a rotatable support carried by an end wall of the nozzle, a lever secured to the end of the support inside the nozzle wall which has a part of a bearing hanger integral therewith and extending at an angle thereto, a second hanger member hinged to the first, a flat spring which presses the members toward each other, the hangers maintaining the axes of the brush and support in eccentric relation and a stop means to limit the movement of the members toward each other.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a nozzle, a rotary brush located within the nozzle, bearings for the ends of the brush, and hangers for the bearings each of which comprises a cylindrical element mountedin and extending through an end wall of the nozzle, an adjusting lever secured to the outer end of the element outside the walL-a lever mounted on the end of the element inside the wall, a pair of members adapted to receive and hold the brush bearing, one of said members being integral with the last named lever and having a right angle extension at the top, a hinge joint between the rejection and the second member whereby t e lower end of the latter is permitted to move toward and away from the first, and means causing the members to engage the brush bearing and detachably secure it in place.

5. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a nozzle, a rotary brush located in the nozzle, bearings for the brush, housings for the bearings, hangers for the housings each of which comprises a pair of members bent to make a three-point engagement with the housing, a pivotal connection between said members at one end, a means causingthe other ends of'the members to move toward each other, a pivotal support for the members carried by a wall ofthe nozzle, and means for adjusting the support to raise and lower the brush within the nozzle.

6. A replacement part for a vacuum cleaner comprising a cylindrical element, a flat spring attached at one end to the element to move it angularly and thus form an adjusting lever, a pair of members bent to embrace a bearing, a lever which is secured to the other end of the element and also to one of the members, a ivotal connection between the members, and a spring which moves the bent members toward each other.

7. A replacement part for a vacuum cleaner, comprising a cylindrical element, an adjusting means for turning the element about its axis, a pair of members bent to embrace a bearing, the adjacent edges, of which have registering notches, the other edges being spaced apart to permit insertion of a bearing, a lever which is secured to the other end of the element and also to one of the members a pin which is located in the notches and serves as a pivot and also as a means-to prevent sidewise displacement of the members and a fiat sprin which covers the pivot and has its ends anc ored in the sides of the two members.

8. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a nozzle, asuction fan, a driving motor for the fan, a revolvin brush which is located in the nozzle and is driven by the motor, bearings for the brush spindle, a hanger for each hearing which comprises a lever, a pivot thereforcarried by a wall of the nozzle, a pair of ieldable members which grasp the caring etween them and which are carried by the lever, and a means for turning the pivot on its axis to ad'ust the brush with respect to the mouth of t e nozzle.

9. A vacuum cleaner having a nozzle, a

suction fan, a driving motor for the fan, and

a revolving brush located within the nozzle and driven by the motor, in combination with bearings for the ends of the brush, a hanger for each hearing which comprises a pivot mounted in and extendin through a wall of the nozzle, a lever secure to each end of the pivot one of which is outside and the other inside the nozzle wall, and a pair of members mounted on the lever inside the nozzle and arranged to support the brush, one of said members being integral with the lever and the other yieldingly supported by the first.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th da of January, 1927.

MAB L ARLINE CERMAK,

Guardian of Anthony 0. Oermak. 

